Four Pirates and a Little Lady?
by Technomad
Summary: Revy's long-lost little sister shows up in Roanapur-and brings chaos in her wake. How can one girl cause so much confusion?
1. Chapter 1

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

A Black Lagoon fan fiction

By Technomad

Chapter 01

Roanapur, Thailand

The slender, black-haired girl slipped through the streets, expertly dodging traffic with the ease of a lifelong city-dweller. Darting across a street, she easily jumped out of the way of a crazed taxi driver, answering his curses with a lifted middle finger.

Pausing for a moment, she peered at a map, looking up to check the names on street signs against the street names on the map. Confident again that she was going in the right direction, she pressed onward, just another face in the Roanapur street crowds.

The headquarters of the Black Lagoon Courier Company, as it was known to the Thai authorities, was one story up from the street level. Rock was sitting by the window, looking out over the Roanapur cityscape, taking a break from work. Dutch, the leader, was going over some accounts that Rock had finished reconciling, and smiling to himself at the profits that were coming in since they had taken in the renegade Japanese salaryman. Benny was off in the electronics bazaars, skulking around for parts he wanted for one of his projects, and Revy was with him. She had recently broken her Discman, and was in the market for a replacement. Dutch figured that the Lagoon Company's electronics wizard was the man to talk to about that; he knew who sold good stuff and who sold trash. Letting him guide her was easier and cheaper than having to go back and shoot someone who'd cheated her, Dutch had decreed.

Rock looked up curiously as a knock came at the door. Dutch called: "Come on in, whoever you are!" Unobtrusively, his hand went below his desk, to where Rock knew that he kept his revolver. While things had been quiet around Roanapur of late, Rock and Dutch never forgot the chaos that had erupted out of nowhere before. The Romanian twins, "Hansel and Gretel," were both dead, but their ghosts lingered on in their old adversaries' minds.

The door creaked open, and a slender, black-haired girl came in. She put a backpack she had been wearing down on the floor, and asked: "Is this where Rebecca Lee works?"

"Rebecca Lee?" Dutch was nonplussed for a second, before memory kicked in. "_Oh_. Yeah, she works here. She isn't in right now. Can we help you?"

"Not really. I need Rebecca. May I stay?" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled up a chair and settled into it, leaning it back on the two back legs and lacing her hands together behind her head. Rock raised an eyebrow at this kid making herself so at home, but figured that Dutch could handle the situation. The captain of the _Black Lagoon_ was one of the most unflappable people that Rock had ever known; almost nothing seemed to faze him, and Rock knew that he could handle almost anything that came up.

For about half an hour, nothing much happened. The strange girl seemed to be completely at home; she did not offer to introduce herself or ask anybody's name, but just sat there quietly. At first, Rock and Dutch kept shooting glances at her, but after a while, they got used to seeing her there, and went back to what they had been doing.

Dutch was buried in a mound of paperwork and Rock was talking on the phone to one of their customers when the door opened again. Benny came through first, a big smile on his face, loaded down with bags full of electronic doodads of various sorts. "I found everything I wanted, Dutch. That shipment of black-market parts from China's depressed the market here, and I got some really good deals!" Chuckling to himself, he disappeared toward the room he used for his hardware assembly. Rock knew the signs. Benny'd be buried in wires, gizmos and soldering irons for hours, having the time of his life.

Revy came through the door a little later, her body moving to the beat of the music pulsing through her earplugs. "Man, this new disc-player beats the hell out of that old one! I have _got_ to let Benny help me shop for things like this more often!" She was in as sunny a mood as she ever got, and gave her co-workers a big smile. Then she saw the strange girl. The smile slid off her face, and her eyes grew wide.

"Hi, Revy. Good to see you back here," Dutch said. "This girl said she wanted to see you. Do you know each other?"

"I think we do," the girl said. She got up and walked over to Revy. "Hi, Rebecca. It's been an awful long time." She smiled. "Don't you recognize me? I know I was a lot smaller when you saw me last…"

Revy sat down abruptly, her face a mask of shock. Dutch broke the silence. "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Revy's mouth opened, then shut. The strange girl was the one who answered. "I suppose I should introduce myself. My name's Rachel Lee, and I'm Rebecca's little sister."

You could have cut the silence with a knife.

Rock was shocked, although he couldn't have said why. He knew that Revy had to have had parents, and possibly siblings-she hadn't come full-fledged into the world, after all, and she had mentioned that she had grown up in New York City, a wretched hive of scum and villainy that made Roanapur look like Utopia-but she never mentioned them or spoke of them, and had forbidden her crewmates to ask her about them. He had gathered that she had had a bad time growing up, and wanted to forget those years.

Well, it looked like those years hadn't wanted to forget her-and here was a piece of them, in the flesh, standing before them. When Rock saw Rachel and Revy together, he could see the family resemblance between them, beyond the common Chinese features; being Japanese himself, he had an easier time with that than he figured Dutch or Benny would.

Rachel's hair was longer, and her figure wasn't as developed, and she wasn't as tall as Revy was, but other than that, they were very alike. Rachel's stances were also very like Revy's, and a lot of her gestures were reminiscent of things Revy would do.

Finally, Revy spoke. Her voice was uncharacteristically subdued. "How-why? How did you get here, and why did you come in the first place?"

Rachel smiled. "Why? Well, you're my big sister, and my only relative left who isn't dead or in prison." Dutch's eyes went wide, and Rock knew that he looked surprised, too. If Revy's parents, or whoever had raised her and her sister, were criminals themselves, that explained an awful lot about their crewmate. Oblivious to the reactions she was getting, Rachel went on: "After they came and arrested Mommy for that check-cashing scheme she was running, I figured it was time to get out of NYC. I'd been in juvie before and didn't want to go back, so I rode my thumb to the West Coast and got on a ship. I knew you were in Roanapur, so I just kept going till I got here."

"How did you manage to travel all alone?"

"I _snuck_." Rachel smiled reminiscently. "Big freighters have lots of places for a small person to hide, and I knew about how long they take to get where they're going, so I just made sure that I packed along enough food for the trip and stayed well out of sight. Once the ship made port, I would swim ashore with my pack, find a ship that was going in the right direction, and sneak aboard. I finally made landfall in Bangkok, and from there, it's not that far to Roanapur. Very few ships seem to come here for some reason."

Rock knew there was a lot she wasn't telling them. A thirteen-or-so-years-old girl traveling alone, with little money-she had to have paid her way somehow, and Rock was afraid he knew how. However, this wasn't any thirteen-year-old…this was the sister of Revy Two-Hands, one of the toughest women in a very tough city. Rachel seemed perfectly untraumatized, and if she was anything like her sister, Rock figured that anything that had…happened…had happened with her consent. He thought of what would happen to someone who tried to rape or molest Revy, and shuddered.

Rachel looked around. "You must be her crewmates. I had heard things, here and there, that said she'd become a pirate. You don't look like pirates. You look like nice people."

Dutch cleared his throat. "Well, Miss Rachel, you heard wrong. This is a courier company. However, we sometimes do break the law. I'm Dutch, by the way-I'm the captain. This-" indicating Rock, who smiled, "is Rock. Unlike the rest of us, he's not American; he's Japanese. Benny's the guy who came in with Revy. He's our electronics expert. When he comes back to the surface-he's eyebrows-deep in a project right now-I'll introduce you to him."

"Oh. That's all nice to know. I'm glad to meet you all." Rachel sauntered over to Rock, looking him up and down like he was a side of beef she was considering buying. "I think I like you. You're _cute_." She gave him a very sultry smile, and Rock backed away, glancing fearfully at Revy, who was clearly getting steamed.

Revy reached out and grabbed Rachel by the shoulder. "Come on, _little sister_," she snarled through a smile. "Since you're going to be here, I'd best show you where I live, and give you a little _talk_ about this place and these people." Turning to Dutch and Rock, she said "Will you excuse us, please?" Not waiting for an answer, she hauled Rachel out, with her little sister smiling and waving goodbye as she left.

Dutch looked at Rock. Rock looked at Dutch. Finally, Dutch sighed. "And to think I thought that we had a stretch of boring and routine ahead of us."

Rock shook his head. "One of Revy's interesting enough. I can't wait to see what two of them will be like."

END Chapter 01

(Author's note: I was wondering what Revy's people were like, and had this idea. I am just going to see where it takes me. I hope you like it. Please do review-I love reviews!)


	2. Chapter 2

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

A Black Lagoon fan fiction

By Technomad

Chapter 02

Once Revy was out of the office, she propelled her sister up against the wall. "_First_ thing I need to make clear to you, _baby sis_," she snarled, "is that Rock is _off-limits_! I catch you making goo-goo eyes at him _one more time_, and, sister or no sister, you're going to be shark bait! Got me?"

"Oooh, big sister's _jealous_!" Rachel grinned back, completely unintimidated. "What's the matter, sis-can't handle a little competition?" Rachel looked Revy up and down, appraisingly. "Well-I can see you've put a few miles on the odometer since I saw you last, Rebecca! I can see why you might be worried when someone younger and prettier shows up!"

Revy gave a low growl, and yanked out one of her Cutlasses. She jammed the barrel against the underside of Rachel's chin. "You heard what I said! You can go after anybody else in this town who's fool enough to have you, Rachel, but Rock. Is. Off. Limits!"

Rachel stared back into her older sister's eyes, completely unafraid. "Before you do anything terminally _stupid_, Rebecca, _look down_!" Revy looked down, and her eyes went wide with shock. While she'd been occupied with threatening her little sister, Rachel had quietly drawn a pistol of her own-a Walther PPK in .380, if Revy was any judge-and had jammed the muzzle into Revy's stomach, just below her navel. If Rachel pulled the trigger, Revy knew that she was a dead woman, and that death would be slow and painful.

Rachel's voice was calm and flat. "Why don't we both put our guns away, Sis, and talk to each other like _reasonable_ women?" Once the guns were back in the holsters, Rachel continued: "Okay. You've staked your claim on Rock. I won't flirt with him any more, although it _was_ a lot of fun to watch him blush. I _am_ sorry…I had hoped to make you laugh."

The absurdity of the situation struck Revy, and she began to snicker. "And here I am, being threatened by my own thirteen-year-old sister." She straightened. "Come on, baby sis. I can put you up in my apartment for a while, and I'm sure we can find you something to do with the Lagoon Company."

Over the next few days, Rachel became the newest, youngest member of the Lagoon Company. She turned out to be a good hand at things like keeping the office clean and tidy ("picked up the habit in juvie," she would explain) and took over quite a few routine, everyday chores, both in the office and aboard the _Black Lagoon_ herself. She had fallen in love with the old PT boat the moment she saw it, and Rock had heard her muttering something about finding some water skis. The thought of the _Black Lagoon_ towing a water-skiing girl on one of its clandestine missions tickled Rock's sense of humor.

The rest of the Roanapur underworld had been slightly shocked to see Revy with a little sister in tow. "What's the matter?" Revy had snarled. "Did you think I _hatched from an egg_ or something like that?" The scowl on Revy's face had ensured that any muttering that went on did so behind her back, or at least where she didn't have to make an issue of it.

Rowan, being stupid, had been delighted at first to see Rachel. "Hey-hey-_hey_, little lady! Have _I_ got a job for _you_!" he crowed. "You can star in my newest show, and afterwards, 'make yourself available' to the customers, if you know what I mean-URRRRK!"

Revy had pulled her pistol, but, much to her shock, it was Rock who had acted first. Grabbing the nightclub owner by the front of his shirt, he hauled a very surprised Rowan up until their faces were a few inches apart. In a low, even tone, Rock snarled: "_That_ is _Revy's little sister_, and if you say one more word to or about her, I'll put your head through a wall and then drop-kick your balls into the middle of next year! _Got_ me?" Shocked and shaking, Rowan nodded frantically. Rock dumped him back into his chair contemptuously, and went on: "Now that _that_'s settled, about that shipment of booze you ordered from us…" and continued with business as though nothing had happened.

Rachel had watched this by-play with wide eyes. She whispered to Revy: "Looks like your boyfriend's tougher than I thought he was, Rebecca!"

Revy nodded, grinning in a proprietorial way. "You should have seen him in Japan, Rachel. He may be quiet, and not usually violent, but when he's pissed-off enough…there's reasons why he's a member of the _Black Lagoon_ crew." She paused for a moment. "Not long after he first came aboard, he came up with a plan that ended up with us taking a helicopter in flight out with a torpedo."

"A torpedo?" Rachel's eyes went very wide. "That's-hard to believe!" Normally, she'd have said a story like that was concentrated bullshit, but she knew that while her older sister had reconciled herself to Rachel's presence, it wouldn't take much to set her volatile sibling off. "You'll have to tell me how he did that sometime!"

"Oh, I will. Or, better yet, I'll get Dutch to talk to you about it. He understands just what Rock did better than I do, and didn't wind up on his back with his ass in the air, either, the way I did." Rachel giggled at that image, and Revy found herself snickering as well. It was an amusing image, she had to admit. Dutch had taken to the idea of having Rachel around, and related to her rather like a favorite uncle to a niece. He was teaching her how to handle the _Black Lagoon_, and Rachel was already shaping up to be a good helmsman.

Benny had bonded with Rachel when he found out that she was a computer whiz in her own right. He was building a computer for her out of spare parts he had around, and Rachel was looking forward to getting online again. "After all," she had explained, "someone might be _wrong_ on the Internet somewhere, and I've got to point it out, don't I?" At that observation, all of the _Lagoon_ crew had broken up laughing. In his spare time, Benny was also teaching Rachel to navigate.

When they went to talk to Sisters Yolanda and Eda at the Rip-Off Church, Rachel's presence had startled both of their hostesses. "Er, Revy, don't take this the wrong way," Sister Yolanda had said, "but isn't she a little young to be involved in this sort of thing?"

Revy grinned. "At her age, I was already pulling burglaries and stickups. By the standards of my old 'hood back in NYC, she's fully-fledged and ready to be a productive member of the underworld."

"Whatever you say, Revy." Eda winked at Rachel. "So-Rachel's your name, is it? Found yourself a hot boyfriend yet?"

Rachel looked at Eda like she had gone off her onion. "Please! I just got here! Besides, the sort of guy who'd go after a thirteen-year-old isn't the sort I'd want." She grinned impishly. "When I decide differently, I'll go out and hunt myself down a nice guy, and drag him back to my lair."

Eda grinned. "You _are_ Revy's sister, aren't you? Did she ever tell you how she met Rock?" At Rachel's headshake, Eda continued: "She kidnapped him more or less on a whim off a ship he was on. He was carrying a disc with information his company wanted kept secret, and Balalaika sent the Lagoon Company to get it. His company more-or-less told him that he'd been written off, so he joined the Lagoon Company."

Rachel gave her older sister an appraising look. "You haven't changed much, Rebecca. Your attitude toward men, or anything else, was always 'want-take-have.'"

Eda whooped with laughter to see Revy blushing. "I couldn't have said it better myself!"

Revy growled: "Said the pots to the kettle!"

Once Rachel had her own computer and a line to the Internet, she spent several hours every day online. She had asked Rock to set her up with a bank account at a Roanapur bank, and he had complied, wondering what in the world she needed one for. She was being paid by the Lagoon Company, and on the books as "general help," but her paycheck didn't amount to much. Not that she needed a lot of money, since she bunked in at Revy's place and ate with the rest of the Lagoon Company.

After a few weeks, Rachel came bouncing in with a big smile on her face. "Guess what, you guys!" she said. "I've been making money on the Net! Lots of money!"

"How've you been doing that?" asked Benny. Rock was also curious. Dutch wasn't around; he was busy overseeing an overhaul of the _Black Lagoon'_s engines. Revy wasn't paying much attention, being absorbed in the latest issue of _Soldier of Fortune_.

"Easy! I've been selling 'sub-aquatic investment acreage in sunny Southern Florida!' I even managed to get a bunch of people here in Roanapur to buy! Can't really figure out what people who live here would want with Florida land, but it's selling like hotcakes!" She paused for a moment to look over the list of buyers she had in her hand. "I have to say, I'm surprised that so many people with Russian names seem to live here. Is there some sort of retirement community here where old Russians go?"

"Russian names?" Revy was suddenly standing right beside her sister, reading the list that she had grabbed from Rachel's hand. "Oh my God!"

"What's the matter, Rebecca? Is there something wrong with selling swampland to Russians? It was really easy to do…Russians are really stupid, aren't they?"

"You're coming with me, right now, young lady!" Grabbing Rachel by the arm, Revy dragged her sister out of the office. As they left, Rock could hear Rachel saying: "But, Rebecca…but, Rebecca…but, Rebecca…"

Rock picked up the list of people that Rachel had conned. He looked down the list, and felt his blood running cold. "I hope Revy can get there in time!"

END Chapter 02


	3. Chapter 3

Four Pirates and a Little Lady

Chapter 03

By Technomad

(Author's note: Italics in Balaliaka's or another Hotel Moscow member's dialogue means they're speaking Russian.)

The woman called "Balalaika" by her friends, "Sofia Pavlovena" by her close kin, and "Fry Face" behind her back was in the middle of some boring paperwork for the Bougainvilla Company, the legitimate front for her crime syndicate, when her faithful Sergeant Borisov poked his head through the door.

"_Tovarishch Kapitana_? _There is someone here to see you. She says it's very urgent_."

"_Really_?" Secretly, Balalaika was rather pleased. She knew that paperwork was an inevitable part of life, whether in the old Soviet Union, the old Soviet Army, or even now that she was the head of "Hotel Moscow" and the de facto head of the criminal underworld in Roanapur, but she had never really liked it. An excuse to take a break was more than welcome. "_Show her in_, _Tovarishch Serzhent_."

Revy came bursting in, dragging what looked, to Balalaika, like a smaller version of herself behind her. "Please, big sis, forgive us!" Revy begged. "She didn't know any better! I'll see that she repays every _baht_!" Balalaika's eyes went very wide. "I didn't know she would do such a thing!"

"What did 'she' do, and who is 'she,' anyway, Revy?" Balalaika asked. "Who is this person with you?"

Startled, Revy looked at the younger girl she was dragging. The younger girl managed to pull her arm free and gave Revy a dirty look, which Revy returned. Balalaika could see a good deal of resemblance between them-the body language, the shape of the face, a hundred-and-one little details. Her sniper's eye was as sharp as ever, and she had always had a good grasp of detail. Revy's answer: "Oh. This is my little sister, Rachel Lee. I thought you'd heard she'd turned up here in Roanapur and been taken in tow by the Lagoon Company," merely confirmed Balalaika's surmise.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Lee," Balalaika was as gravely polite as she would have been had she been being introduced to Josef Stalin. "Now, Revy, could you start from the beginning here? I have a feeling that something's happened, but I'm not sure what." Suddenly Balalaika smiled a very unsettling smile. "I do not like to be unsure about things."

When Revy had finished her explanation, Balalaika sat back in her chair, steepling her fingers. "So-if I understand you rightly, your little sister here's been selling people chunks of swampland in Florida?" At Revy's nod, she went on: "And some of these people are members of Hotel Moscow?" Revy nodded again, a little color coming back to her cheeks. "I see. Do you have a list of these members of Hotel Moscow?" When Revy produced a printout, Balalaika scanned it, and turned to Sergeant Borisov. In Russian, she snapped: "_Get these idiots in here, on the double, Sergeant_!" and handed him the list. Sergeant Borisov snapped a salute and left.

Once the Sergeant had gone, Balalaika leaned forward, curious. "So, Rachel. I can see that you're Revy's sister. The resemblance is there. How long have you been here in Roanapur?"

"A couple of months. I like it here. The booze is cheap, the ammunition's cheap, and the action never dies." Rachel cocked her head to one side, studying Balalaika gravely. "You speak English pretty well, but I don't think you're a native speaker. Where are you from originally?"

"You have a good ear, little Rachel. I'm originally from Russia, like my men are. You can call me 'Balalaika,' by the way, since your sister wasn't polite enough to introduce me." Revy blushed.

The door opened, and ten or twelve of the _Vysotniki_ came in. They ranged themselves in front of Balalaika's desk, came to attention and saluted.

Calmly and evenly, Balalaika asked: "_Were you born idiotic, or did your mothers drop you on your heads_?" The men gaped at her, as she went on: "_It appears that you have been well and truly swindled by a girl. __This__ girl._" Balalaika pointed to Rachel, as the men turned to stare at her. "_I wonder how you ever managed to get into the Red Army. If they can make soldiers out of such as you, I think that they will soon be starting on the apes_."

"_Tovarishch Kapitana_!" one of the men protested_. "What do you mean, we were swindled by a girl?_"

"_She sold you_ 'sub-aquatic investment acreage' _in Florida, in the US. Do you know what_ 'sub-aquatic' _means__, Private_?"

"_I thought it meant that the land was near water_…" His voice trailed off as Balalaika gave him an exasperated stare. "_It doesn't?"_

"Wha_t it __means__, Private, is that it' s __under water__. You got sold worthless __swampland_!"

"_Swampland_?" Sergeant Borisov went over to a shelf and pulled out an English-Russian dictionary, opening it to the right page. The men crowded around to read the definition of the English words "sub-aquatic," and their faces went white, then red. "_Bozhe moi! So __that__'s what it means_!" They turned toward Rachel, their expressions ominous, but when Balalaika cleared her throat, they snapped to attention instinctively.

"I'll make her pay back every last penny she took from your men, big sis," Revy said. "And I want you to know how really, really sorry I am about this. I thought I could trust her behind my back."

"Very well, you may pay the money to me. As for these idiots,"-Balalaika indicated her men, "I think that some punishment is in order, if only to teach them not to be such a bunch of gullible geese. A month of no vodka ought to remind them to be more careful next time. _Sergeant-see to it. They're restricted to __food and water__ for thirty days_." Sergeant Borisov saluted, as the men turned pale. They saluted and left the room.

With the men disposed of, Balalaika leaned back in her chair and considered Revy and Rachel. "Now, what am I to do with you?" she mused. "I do not like having my men cheated, but at the same time, finding out that they can be cheated so easily is useful information. I have neglected to train them to watch out for such tricks." She leaned forward. "You may reimburse me the money my men spent on this. Other than that, I shall exact no punishment-this time."

Revy let out a sigh of relief. "You have no idea how lucky you are, Rachel-or how dangerous this woman is," she said.

Rachel looked mutinous. "Does this mean I have to give back the rest of the money, too?"

"The rest of the money?" Balalaika was intrigued; the word "money" always grabbed her attention instantly. "How much did you make off this?"

"Here, ma'am." Rachel delved into her pocket and pulled out a paper. "That's my estimate of how much I've made so far." Balalaika took the paper and her eyes went very wide.

"_Bozhe moi_! This does look like a money-maker!" Balalaika gave Rachel a long, considering look. "How is it that a girl hardly old enough to have curves is such an expert swindler, anyway?"

"Well, ma'am, I fell in with bad companions at a very early age."

"And what 'bad companions' are these?"

"My family. You know what Revy's like, after all, don't you?"

"Your family?" Balalaika nearly swallowed her cigar in her shock. "How can you say such a thing? I'll bet your poor old mother's burning a candle in the window right now, hoping you'll come back home!"

"That would be impossible." Rachel gave Balalaika a beaming smile. "They don't _have_ windows in solitary confinement."

"But what about your father?" Balalaika had been raised in a respectable family, and this sort of thing was a revelation to her in some ways. "Why didn't he stop all this?"

"Daddy's been too busy these last few years with that counterfeit-money printing press he's been working with. He also does hits for the Chinatown tongs sometimes." Rachel pulled out her PPK carefully. "He gave me this on my last birthday, and told me to use it on anybody that was trying to treat me wrong."

Balalaika held out her hand, and Rachel handed her the pistol, after carefully unloading it and emptying the chamber. "Very good, Rachel. You were well-trained. Are you a good shot with it yet?"

Rachel shook her head. "I practice when I can. Rebecca takes me out to the municipal dump, and we shoot at rats. I'm not nearly as good as she is yet." She scowled at Revy, who gave her a smirk. "It's not fair-just because she's older and has more practice behind her! I'm going to be just as good as she is one day, you mark my words!"

"Good!" Balalaika gave Rachel an approving smile. "Ambition is proper in one so young. I do not doubt that you'll be every bit your sister's equal-if you live." Suddenly, Balalaika was looming over Rachel, her scarred face an inch away from Rachel's, as she purred: "Allow your sister to be your guide, little Rachel. Overreaching is always dangerous, particularly in a town like this. I do not think you would like the harbor bottom. You meet the nastiest people there."

"Yes, ma'am," gulped Rachel. Revy scowled to see Balalaika threatening her sister, but didn't say anything. "May we go now, please?"

"Of course! I shall follow your career with great interest. Revy-get the money to me as soon as may be, _panyamayu_?" Ceremoniously, Balalaika gave Rachel back her pistol. "You do not want to be wandering in this place without a gun."

"Yes, big sis." Revy grabbed Rachel by the arm. "Come on, you!" She hauled Rachel through the door, and Balalaika heard a loud slap, followed by a loud shriek of protest.

Sergeant Borisov had been back in the room, and had watched all the by-play with wide eyes. Shaking her head slightly, Balalaika commented: "_This is going to be interesting, in the sense of the Chinese curse, Serzhent_."

Revy stalked back to the Lagoon Company in a towering snit, dragging her sister behind her. Rachel was uncharacteristically subdued, rubbing at what was promising to shape up into a first-rate black eye. When they got back, Dutch was there. "I heard about what happened. Is everything going to be all right?"

"I managed to beg our lives from Big Sis," snarled Revy. Turning to her unrepentant little sister, Revy hissed: "Any further schemes, you're to check them with me and the rest of the Lagoon Company first, before you put them into action! Got me?"

"Okay, sis," mumbled Rachel. She looked thoughtful and penitent for a second, then brightened. "I just had the most wonderful idea! I can send out zillions of e-mails, telling people that I'm a rich guy somewhere-like, say, Africa-who needs their help, and their bank codes and routing numbers, to move money out of my country, and if they help me, they'll get a share of the cash! If I make the amounts big enough, a lot of people will jump at it, and I can empty their bank accounts at my leisure!"

Dutch looked at Revy. Revy looked at Dutch. Dutch said: "That's one apple that didn't fall far from the tree, did it?" Revy just shook her head, looking very, very tired.

END Chapter 03


	4. Chapter 4

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

A Black Lagoon fanfic

By Technomad

Chapter 04

_Blam. Blam. Blam. Blam_. "How am I doing, Rebecca?"

Revy Two-Hands put a pair of binoculars to her eyes, looking downrange at the targets that she and her sister had improvised in the Roanapur city dump. "You're getting better, Rachel. I've told you, practice makes perfect. Now, I want to see how quickly you can reload that PPK of yours."

Grinning proudly, happy to be praised by her big sister, Rachel Lee quickly ejected the magazine from her PPK, stuffing it into one pocket before pulling out a fresh magazine. Under Revy's critical eye, and conscious of the stopwatch her big sister was holding, Rachel snapped the new magazine into her pistol, pulling back the slide with her finger off the trigger. "Ten seconds. Not bad. Even so, though, I want you to practice this every day, and when you get really good, I'm going to make things more interesting. By the time I'm done teaching you, you'll be able to keep your bullets on-target while dodging, running, and rolling. Like so!"

Pulling her Cutlasses, Revy launched into an acrobatic routine that would have gotten her a role in a circus, assuming that there were circuses that would feature shooting acts. She ran, ducked imaginary foes' bullets, dodged, hit the ground rolling, and came bouncing back to her feet, her guns keeping up a steady barking rhythm. When her guns clicked empty, she stopped, panting slightly. "_That_, little sister, is how it's done. That's how I got my rep. Look at the targets-every shot I fired was on-target, or I'm restricting myself to food and water tonight."

Rachel took the binocs and peered downrange. "Looks like you're right, sis." She gave Revy a look of pure admiration. "If I grow up I want to be just like you!"

Revy's eyes went wide, and she shuddered slightly; she hoped that Rachel didn't notice it. _If I grow up__…What a thing for a girl her age to say!_ While she didn't like to talk about her early life, Revy had had hopes at one time that things had improved for her family after she'd been forced to leave America. Unfortunately, it was pretty clear that things had gone on as they always had; her parents always up to some illegal scheme, and Rachel growing up to be just as crooked as they were.

Her latest stunt had worked better than Revy had dared to dream. The Lagoon Company's finances looked wonderful, and even with Balalaika finding out and dealing herself and Hotel Moscow in for half "to make up for trouble," the company was doing quite well. Benny was in seventh heaven, building new and better computers and a system to allow the _Black Lagoon_ to be piloted by one man alone, and Rock was investing a lot of the money, sometimes even in legitimate ways. The ex-salaryman had a real gift for predicting the markets. They were also all eating better.

Rock came over the path into the dump. "Hi, Rachel." He returned Rachel's smile—the ex-salaryman had settled into a role of "honorary big brother," and was teaching Rachel about things like the commodities markets and how to make money. "Revy—we just got a call. The _Lagoon_'s needed to make a run tomorrow morning. Thought I'd best tell you quickly."

"Can I bring my water skis?" Rachel asked.

"_No!_" Revy snapped. At Rock's questioning look, she shook her head. "I don't think I was this much trouble when I was her age. Could I have been?"

Showing great wisdom, Rock refrained from commenting.

Several days later, after a routine run into Philippine waters to deliver some contraband to separatist rebels, the _Black Lagoon_ pulled back into Roanapur's harbor, passing the giant, defaced statue of Buddha that stood in the entrance. Rock and Rachel were standing in the bridge, watching as Dutch expertly conned the PT boat to her usual anchorage.

Rachel pointed across the harbor. "Hey, Rock—isn't that ship new since we were here last?"

Rock looked at the big freighter she was pointing at. "You know, you're right. I don't remember ever seeing her before." He called back "Hey, Dutch—do you mind steering around the back of that big ship over to port? I want to have a look at her name and flag."

"Can do, Rock. Truth to tell, I'm a bit curious about her myself." Not many ships came into Roanapur harbor; the navigation was rather treacherous for large vessels, and the port's shady reputation kept reputable shipping at a distance. Dutch put the helm about, and the _Black Lagoon_ smoothly turned to port, circling around behind the new ship's stern.

Rock peered closely as they passed by. They were being watched from the deck; several hard-faced Oriental men were giving the PT boat the once-over as she passed by. Rock could see that they were armed; they had what looked like AK rifles by their sides.

"She's the _Cheonji_, and she's flying DPRK colors. I don't like the look of this one little bit," muttered Rock. In his previous job, he had often run across accounts of North Korean intelligence ops, and they often operated off "innocent merchant ships" flying the DPRK flag. Rock's eyes narrowed. Normally, he seldom thought about Japan, but he was remembering incidents where Japanese citizens had disappeared mysteriously—always from the west coast, in easy range of North Korea. There had been one case in particular, a thirteen-year-old girl named Megumi Yokota, that had shocked him deeply when he heard about it. He pictured Rachel being grabbed and dragged away to North Korea, and, for a second, a very uncharacteristic fury shook him. _Is this what Revy feels like all the time_? He wondered.

"You're awfully quiet, Rock." Rachel was watching him carefully. Her years as a street brat had made her very good at reading people, and she could tell something was troubling him. "What's wrong?"

Rock looked down at her, forcing a smile. "Nothing much, Rachel. Why don't you go below and rout out your sister? You're probably safer doing that than I am; you know what she's like when she wakes up sometimes."

Rachel made a face. "Yeah. She can be a real bitch sometimes." She gave Rock a teasing look. "Maybe what she needs is—"

Rock cut her off. "What's between your sister and me is _our business_. _You _keep your snoopy nose _out_ of it, _got me_?"

Rachel visibly started to come out with a smart answer, but saw something in Rock's eyes that stopped her. "Yes, Rock."

She went below, and a few minutes later, a shout of "Rachel, you damn brat, you put ice cubes down my back when I'm sleeping! Just you wait—I'll thrash you silly! Now _give me my clothes_!" told Rock and Dutch that Rachel had succeeded in rousing Revy. Very shortly after, Rachel came running out on deck, laughing hysterically, with her furious sister right on her trail.

Rock and Dutch exchanged glances. "Never a dull moment, Dutch," commented Rock. Meanwhile, Revy was chasing Rebecca all over the _Black Lagoon_.

When they had tied up the _Lagoon_, they headed to the Yellow Flag for some refreshing beverages. Bao gave Rachel a dark look, but knew better than to object to anybody the Lagoon Company chose to include in their ranks. The regulars all knew Rachel by this time, and smiled to see her. Rock had heard that many of Roanapur's underworld were secretly quite amused by Revy's troubles with her mischevious little sister.

"What's new?" asked Dutch, as Bao served him his usual.

"New ship in the harbor; did you see her?" The South Vietnamese veteran scowled. "Damn Norks. Nothing but trouble. Now, ROKs, they're good comrades, but Norks are not only Commies, but _crazy_ Commies. At least Balalaika and her men learned good sense, but Norks—" Bao made a noise that communicated absolute disgust.

"What are they doing?" Dutch was on the alert. Bao was plugged-in and anything happening in Roanapur came to his ears quickly. Rock was also listening in.

"They _say_ they're here waiting for a cargo." Bao's skepticism was obvious. "They've been here for some time, and no sign of a cargo." The barkeeper's face twisted. "Madame Balalaika's getting more and more suspicious of them, and so is Mister Chang. The lesser syndicate leaders are keeping their heads down, but quite a few of the Colombians and Italians have disappeared lately, and rumor has it that Koreans have taken over their rackets."

"_Are_ they now?" Dutch and Bao looked at each other. Dutch was thinking that Balalaika was right, as usual—the changes in the Roanapur underworld probably had a lot to do with that ship. Were the North Koreans planning a move on Roanapur? It would be a wonderful staging point for them; they were deep into the amphetamine trade, and up for any dirty business that brought in foreign exchange, from what Dutch had heard.

"These Koreans aren't afraid of anybody, and they'll throw down with anybody who interferes with them. Right now, nobody's too interested—the Colombians and Italians they've pushed out or replaced were small-fry, and even the Colombian and Italian mobs aren't worried. Me, I think they're planning something big." Bao nodded at Dutch. "Best watch your ass, big guy. I'd kind of miss having you—and your money—coming in here."

"Will do." Dutch pulled back from the bar and scanned around the room. Revy had apparently disappeared to the restroom, while Benny was talking electronics to one of his cronies. Rock was watching Rachel, who had produced a pack of cards from a pocket and was practicing her moves at three-card monte. Dutch took a closer look at Rachel's cards, and nodded to see that they were the unmarked cards he had insisted she use. She had whined that marked cards were more fun, but he had explained that being caught with that sort of thing in a place like Roanapur was a one-way ticket to the harbor bottom.

Ah, well…Dutch took a long pull at his drink. Whatever the Koreans were up to, it was no concern of his. He smiled as Rachel began to teach Rock how to deal three-card monte. For a guy with no criminal experience, Rock was taking to his new life remarkably well. He watched Rachel showing Rock the moves, and dismissed the Koreans from his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

Chapter 05

By Technomad

Intense tropical rain poured down on Roanapur. Dutch sat by the office window staring out at the black-clouded sky as the water lashed against the window panes.

"Rock?" Across the room, Rock looked up from a ledger he had just finished going over. "Could you go down to the Yellowflag and rout out Revy? And Benny—if he isn't there, go look at Janet's place."

Rock blushed, which amused Dutch behind his impassive mask. Benny's girlfriend, "Greenback" Jane Bhai, took sadistic pleasure in flirting with him, even in front of Revy, which did nothing for Revy's good humor. Revy had taken revenge in an unexpected way—she had grabbed the counterfeiter, planting a deep soul-kiss on her, and purred that if Janet was _that_ insatiable, she, Revy, was willing to try to satisfy her. Revy had spent time in prison, and apparently had turned to women when men were unavailable. The sheer shock had shut Janet up, but she might have recovered.

Rock shut his ledger with a slight sigh—he didn't like the rain, either. "Will do, boss. If Revy's not at the Yellowflag, I'll try the apartment." The renegade salaryman gave Dutch a quick grin. "I wonder what Rachel's doing right now?"

"I hate this weather," Rachel Lee grumbled. She scowled out the window at the rain as though her ill-will could make it go away.

"You and me both, baby sis," grunted Revy. Revy had rigged up her exercise bar, and was hanging from it upside down, exercising. "I like being outside and active. Being cooped up like this drives me straight up the wall."

"It makes me crazier," muttered Rachel. Revy stopped long enough to give her little sister a quizzical look. "What? You've always said that I was crazy, haven't you? Well, this weather is making me feel crazier than usual!"

Revy giggled, before going into a series of grueling exercises. "You-_ugh!-_have-_ugh!_-a-_ugh!-_point, little sis."

A knock on the door sounded, and Rachel went to see who it was. "Oh, hi, Rock! Come on in! Isn't this weather awful?"

Rock walked in as Rachel gave him a hug around the waist. "Yeah, it's lousy." He took off his rain hat and tossed it to one side, along with his folded umbrella. "Revy—Dutch wants you back at the office. I don't know why."

Revy flipped over, landing on her feet. "Really? He must have some project lined up for us. I wonder what it is?"

Rachel gave them both a huge smile, and ran for her room. "I'll go get my pistol!"

Revy and Rock looked at each other. "That's one apple that didn't fall far from the tree, did it?" Rock commented. Revy's rueful nod was all the answer he needed.

When they were all at the Lagoon Company offices, Dutch explained what was going on. "We've been contacted to pick up a load of stuff over in the Philippines. Some separatist rebels are doing a swap with the Rip-off Church. Goods for weapons."

"Great!" Revy grinned ferociously. "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. Rock, could you go on down to the church and tell them we'll be ready to go? Sister Yolanda's got the maps and contact information we'll be needing. Without that, we could wander among the Philippines for months—or get shot at by the people we're trying to contact."

"Will do, boss," Rock answered, putting his rain hat back on.

Several hours later, Rock still hadn't returned, and the mood at the Lagoon Company's offices had turned distinctly sour. Revy was pacing up and down, jumpier with every minute that passed. Benny had been fiddling with one of his gadgets, but he kept peering out the window. Rachel finally broke the thick silence. "What in the world's keeping Rock? It's not like him to be so late!"

"I don't know, baby sis," said Revy, "but I've got a real bad feeling about this."

Dutch picked up the phone. "I'll call the Rip-off Church and see what's keeping Rock." After dialing, he said: "Hello? Sister Eda? Hi, it's me—Dutch. Listen, could you tell me what's holding Rock up?"

Listening in, Revy muttered: "If that slut Eda's trying to sink her hooks into him, we're going to have _words_. I mean it!"

Dutch listened for a few minutes. "Oh. I see. Thanks, Sister Eda. Hope to see you soon, too." Hanging up, he turned to the others. "She says that Rock hasn't come yet. She was just about to call us and ask when he'd be over."

Revy and Rachel shared worried looks. "I'm worried, big sis," said Rachel. "Do you guys want me to go looking for him?"

"No, Rachel." Revy shook her head. "_You_ are not going to go looking for him." She drew one of her Cutlasses, hefting it meaningfully. "_We_ are going to go looking for him. I know this town a lot better than you do, and people will treat me with more respect than they would you."

Rachel gave her older sister a mutinous look, but nodded. "Fair enough. As long as I get to come along." She got up to go, and there was a knock on the door.

Revy opened the door, and stepped back in surprise as Chief Watsup entered the room. "What are you doing here?"

Chief Watsup looked at her, and then turned to Dutch. "I came to tell you the news. That Japanese guy you have working for you is in the hospital. They just brought him in—I heard on the radio, and I was right near by, so I thought I'd give you the news."

Revy and Rachel looked at each other, their expressions identical masks of fear. "Let's go, then, sis. I want to know what happened!" Rachel nodded, all of her usual mischief gone as she followed Revy, Benny and Dutch out the door.

When they arrived at the hospital, they found Sisters Yolanda and Eda there. Both of them looked very worried. "Glad to see you guys! The cops brought him in here about twenty minutes or so ago. He had one of our cards on him, so they called us—they thought he might be Catholic." Eda gave Revy a haggard grin. "If they only knew…"

"What happened?" Revy visibly mastered the impulse to grab Eda by the front of her habit. The blonde American had her pistol in its shoulder-holster, after all, and even Revy Two-Hands was aware that a hospital lobby was no place for a gunfight. Besides, the hospital's own security had been eyeing her from the moment she stepped in. There were times that her reputation was not a blessing.

A Thai doctor came in. "Are you here for Okajima Rokuro?"

It took Revy a second or two to remember Rock's right real name. "Yeah. He works for Dutch, here. We got worried when he didn't show up after going on an errand for our company."

"Well, he's out of danger, at least."

Revy did not like the sound of that at all; she tensed up and bared her teeth in a snarl. As though from a distance, she felt Rachel wrapping her arm around her waist. "Cool, big sis. Keep it cool. Cool as a cuke," Rachel murmured, trying to soothe her down. Addressing the doctor, Rachel went on: "Please, doctor sir, tell us how badly he's hurt?" Revy looked down, and nearly did a double-take; Rachel looked innocent and appealing enough to melt anybody's heart. _She has talents I don't have—talents that might be useful_.

The doctor gave Rachel a smile. "Well, little girl, your friend was apparently waylaid and beaten quite expertly. One of the policemen who found him up an alley said that it looked a lot like he'd been worked over by martial-arts experts. Almost certainly more than one. They called for an ambulance, and the EMTs stabilized him before they brought him in. He's got a bunch of broken bones, some nasty internal injuries and internal bleeding, and a concussion."

"Can we see him?"

"I don't know why not. I should warn you—he slips in and out of consciousness. He's not tracking really well right now."

The doctor hadn't been exaggerating how badly Rock had been beaten. He was lying in a bed with both his arms in casts, tubes running into him at odd angles. He was awake, and tried to muster up a smile when he saw who had come.

"Hi-you guys. Sorry-I couldn't-make it back."

"You don't need to worry about that, Rock. From what the cops say, you were jumped. Care to tell us about it?" Dutch sat down by Rock's bedside.

"Not a lot to tell. Was walking along-minding my own business. Didn't expect trouble. I remember-some guys coming up to me." Rock gave them a ghostly grin, and Revy felt her gut tightening. Even when he was obviously in pain, Rock was showing courage, and telling them what they needed to know.

"At first-I thought-they might be-Japanese. They didn't look like Thais, or other local people. More like Japanese." Rock was visibly fading, and his eyes were fluttering shut.

"You rest up, Rock," said Dutch. "You concentrate on getting well." He stood up, and gathered the others with a gesture. Once they were out in the lobby, he muttered: "I have some suspicions, but I don't want to talk about them here. Meet me back at the Yellowflag. You too, Sister Eda."


	6. Chapter 6

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

Chapter 06

By Technomad

Dutch didn't say much until he, Revy, Eda, Benny and Rachel were safely ensconced in a back booth at the Yellowflag. Once they were all settled in, with beverages before them, Dutch finally cleared his throat.

"I think that we've just been favored with the attention of our _dear _friends from North Korea," he began. "When we got back from the Philippines, the _Cheonji_ was sitting here in the harbor, and she hasn't moved from her anchorage for months. Who else do we know that has a freighter they operate from?"

"That sounds a lot like the Bougainvilla Company—which we all know and love as Hotel Moscow," answered Benny. He stared at his glass of whiskey as though all the answers were floating in the amber liquid. "They have a freighter. They can do a lot of stuff aboard the ship that they can't get away with on Thai soil, because it's legally the soil of Holy Mother Russia. If the Thai authorities try boarding her without a real good excuse, or permission from the Russian embassy in Bangkok or the Russian authorities at home, there'll be merry hell to pay."

"And, I take it, Balalaika exercises crisp folding reason on the embassy and back home to make sure _that _never happens. Or at worst, if it does happen, she'll have plenty of warning and can clean the ship up so that everything looks like it's on the up-and-up," Benny smiled slyly. "I've got to say, Balalaika's a pretty sharp person. So you're saying that the North Koreans are moving in on Roanapur?"

"Looks like it to me," Dutch answered. "There've been incidents where low-level hoods, here and there around the town, have dropped out of sight, and their rackets have been taken over by Korean-looking people. They've been keeping a low profile, but I've heard that several Triad-owned businesses-a brothel, a few bars, a couple of loan-sharks, and a gambling den-are now being run by Koreans."

"From their point of view, Roanapur's a dream town to operate from," put in Eda. Giving Revy a very worried look - Revy hadn't said a word since they left the hospital, which was, to say the least, not her usual style - Eda went on: "Look at it this way. Roanapur's a town the Thai authorities want to forget exists. Watsup and his men are mostly here as exiles from other Thai police forces. In plain English, they're screwups. They can be bought, or rented, very cheaply."

"There's also a lot of things going on here that would make the North Koreans money," put in Rachel. "I've read online that they're heavy in the meth trade. They sell everything and anything that they think 'decadent capitalist youth' will buy. They think it's a real giggle…they get to make money off their enemies' vices."

"And who asked _you_ to open your damn yap? Shut up and _drink your gin_!" snarled Revy.

"Sheesh, what's biting _you_?" asked Rachel, not intimidated a bit. "On second thought, strike that. It was a dumb question. Look, we're _all_ worried about Rock. Acting like the Queen Bitch from Hell isn't going to make him heal up any faster." She patted Revy's hand. "Remember what you always told me was your motto?"

"Don't get mad-_get even_!" Revy suddenly smiled. "Thanks, Rachel. I was just spending too much time kicking myself for not going along with Rock. I shouldn't blame myself for this situation." She looked around at the others, and despite the huge amount of liquor she had aboard, her gaze was sharp, clear, and as steady as a sniper. "It was a perfectly routine errand. Nobody suspected anything."

"Right," said Eda. "I'm going to start asking around to find out what's been going on with the Colombians, and the Italians. I'm on reasonable terms with Abrego and Rocky."

"I wonder what Balalaika's got to say?" mused Benny. "She's pretty much top-dog in the local rackets. If the Norks want to take them over, they'll about have to take her down, and she won't go quietly or easily."

Just then, the door to the Yellowflag crashed open. Everybody instinctively looked up, reaching for their weapons, as Bao cringed behind the bar. It was Sergeant Borisov, Balalaika's right-hand man.

"Did you hear the news?" he asked. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost.

"No-what happened?" Dutch's voice was calm, which seemed to affect Borisov. Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled up a chair and sat down with the Lagoon Company.

"I was just down at Bougainvilla Trading, and there's Thai national police all over the place! They're arresting everyone they can get their hands on!"

Dutch, Revy, Benny, Rachel and Eda all stared at Sergeant Borisov in disbelief. "I'll have to see this for myself!" snapped Eda, as she stood up to leave the bar.

"Wait for me!" Revy was right beside her in a heartbeat, with Rachel tagging right along behind her, and Benny and Dutch not far behind.

Sure enough, the street in front of the Bougainvilla Trading Company's office was filled with cars bearing the markings of the Thai National Police Force. That was a different force from the Roanapur police, and normally they left Roanapur pretty much alone. Apparently, times were not normal.

As the Lagoon Company contingent came running up, they saw Balalaika being led out. She still had on her trademark army greatcoat, but her hands were cuffed behind her back and they were not being gentle about leading her to a waiting paddy-wagon. She walked out with her head held high, like a queen being led to the block, paying no mind to the crowd of people that had come to gawk at the acknowledged leader of Roanapur's criminal underworld being brought to book.

The Lagoon Company group watched in silence, listening to the babble of Thai and other languages around them.

"—can't believe it—"

"—she'll be out in a few hours, count on it—"

"—guess the Bangkok government finally decided to crack down—"

When the show was over, Dutch gathered his followers, and Sgt. Borisov, wordlessly, and herded them up to the Lagoon Company's offices, where they could speak freely.

For a few minutes after the door of the office was securely locked, nobody said anything. Finally, Revy spoke up. "I never thought I'd see the day when that happened." She gave the others a slightly haggard grin. "When Big Sis gets out again, there's going to be merry hell to pay for some people. For starters, I wouldn't want to be the policemen who actually arrested her." She shivered theatrically. "I bet she's got some revenge cooked up already that'd make Dracula puke!"

"I don't know, Revy," Benny said. "Balalaika's a professional to her core. She wouldn't bother with lashing out at those guys." He grinned. "Now, getting back at the people who engineered her arrest…that, I'd say, she's quite well capable of doing."

"Do you think the North Koreans did it?" asked Rachel. She looked at the others, her eyes wide. In her time in Roanapur, she had learned that one did not meddle with Balalaika, or Hotel Moscow. Hotel Moscow, in Roanapur, was like a force of nature. Chief Watsup and his police swept up the minor crooks and kept the streets quiet, but when Hotel Moscow moved, Watsup and his men stayed well out of the way.

"North Koreans are crazy. Hell, all Koreans are a bit nuts; they eat kimchi, don't they? Even so, North Koreans are absolutely, no-doubt-about-it, batshit insane." Dutch took a pull at his Heireken beer. "They go balls-to-the-wall on anything they try, and they follow every insane order they get like it was Gospel straight from the lips of God."

"I don't know if I want to stay around this town if they get control of it," said Eda. "I might have to—long story—but given my 'druthers, I'd split town if they were running things here."

"Balalaika's generally got goals that the rest of us can live with," concluded Dutch. "Make money, everybody get along—those are not bad goals." He shook his head. "The North Koreans' goals are so far from anything sane, they could end up bringing Roanapur down around our ears."

END Chapter 06


	7. Chapter 7

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

Chapter 07

by Technomad

"Will you for fuck's sake _quit_ pacing up and down like that? You're like a caged tiger!" snapped Revy. "There's nothing you can do for Big Sis, at least not right at the moment!"

"I should have helped her…I should have done something for her…Borisov whispered. He looked like a man who had watched his family's house burn down with them in it. Most situations, he could have handled easily, but seeing his idolized Captain led out like a common felon had shaken him dreadfully.

"Look, man, you're good-my big sister has told me about you _Vysotniki_-but right now, this isn't a scene where your skills are any use." Rachel put in, steering the big man to a chair and easing him down. She came around behind him, patting his shoulder. "Follow the good advice in the song."

"Good advice? In a song?" If nothing else, Rachel had startled Borisov. "What sort of good advice is this, little Rachel?"

"_Send lawyers, guns, and money,"_ sang Rachel. "_The shit has hit the fan!"_

Borisov looked puzzled. "I know not of this song. Who sang it, and how does it go?"

Rachel looked shocked. "What-you don't know _Warren Zevon_? What a deprived life you must have lived!" She patted his hand, and he blushed slightly. "Seriously, though, this isn't a situation where you can use force to get your Captain out of trouble."

"She's right, you know," said Benny. "The way to deal with this situation is lawyers…good ones. I take it that the Bougainvilla Trading Company has some top-flight Thai lawyers on its payroll?"

"We do!" Borisov suddenly looked like he'd gained a new lease on life. "May I use your telephone? I need to call them!" Wordlessly, Dutch pushed the office phone over to within Borisov's reach, and Borisov began dialing. When he got an answer, he began to speak, rattling along in rapid-fire Thai.

"I didn't know he could speak Thai," Benny muttered to Revy.

Borisov caught that. Putting his hand over the receiver, he grinned up. "I am not just…how you say…a _pretty face_, you know." Rachel giggled as he went back to his conversation.

When he hung up, Borisov looked very relieved. "Good. _Khorosho_! Our lawyers are on the job, and they'll have the Captain out on bail shortly." He ruffled Rachel's hair, and she smiled at him. "You have good ideas, little Rachel. I would not have thought of lawyers myself."

"Do they have lawyers in Russia?" asked Revy. "I never would have thought they did."

"Oh, they do…but Russia's always been a land of mind over matter." At Revy's questioning look, Borisov explained: "In Russia, when the government makes up its mind, nothing else matters."

"Oh." Revy, Rachel, Dutch and Benny exchanged glances. For a second, the gap between them and Borisov gaped wide. Borisov had been brought up in an absolute dictatorship, and even though they had had to flee, America had shaped all of the Lagoon company. Even Rock, Japanese though he was, had been reared in a much freer environment than the Soviet Union.

A few hours later, the Bougainvilla Company's lawyer, a Miss Sulong, was sitting in the Lagoon Company's office, explaining what was going to happen. Dutch had been happy to put the Lagoon Company's facilities at the disposal of Bougainvilla Trading, knowing that this would be richly repaid once Balalaika was free.

"Frankly, Mr. Borisov, I don't see any problem with Miss Pavlovena's release. I am not at all sure why she was arrested in the first place. It appears that someone, or several someones, was persuaded that she was complicit in some sort of military action against the Thai government. No evidence of that has been uncovered, and most officials are unable to explain why she and her company should have been targeted. It's as though she had some sort of enemy or enemies that were trying to trick the authorities into imprisoning or deporting her."

The Black Lagoon crew and Borisov exchanged glances. "That might just be the case, Miss Sulong," Benny finally said. "There's been a run of unexplained things in this town lately, and quite a few local foreigners have had trouble. We think that there's a new organization moving into town. And we think that they're North Koreans."

Miss Sulong hissed. "Those scum! They've got their filthy fingers into everything they can find that's rotten!" She breathed heavily for a second before regaining her calm. "Forgive me, but I have a brother who works in the Thai intelligence services. He has told me of the DPRK's activities here and elsewhere. They've been behind the assassination of some of our officials who've been too eager to investigate things like the importation of large amounts of counterfeit medicines." She looked very grim. "Those medicines have cost the lives of many of my poor countrymen."

"So you will help us?" Borisov looked at Miss Sulong like she was a doctor who was about to tell him whether he'd live or die. She smiled at him.

"I'll do all I can. Unfortunately, the government has many people in it who seem to be very sympathetic to the DPRK. It might be that they've been bribed, or they may be being blackmailed. They might even be believers in the North Korean ideology-_Juche_, it's called. It means, more-or-less, self-reliance, but in practice, it's mindless worship of their 'Dear Leader.'" Miss Sulong shook her head. "I hate to think that any of my countrymen could be so stupid, but every time I believe that I've seen the outermost limits of stupidity, I find that I was wrong."

Miss Sulong got up to leave. She took Borisov by the hand. "Don't worry about your Captain, Sergeant Borisov. She'll be back here in Roanapur in a few days at most, safe and sound." With that, she left, and Borisov collapsed into a chair, looking like he'd been reprieved at the foot of the gallows.

Rachel came over and put her arms around Borisov's shoulders. "Don't be sad, Mr. Borisov. Like she said, Miss Balalaika will be back soon, and she'll be all right." She leaned down and looked into his eyes, her nose an inch from his. "Look at it this way. She didn't get to be a Captain in the Red Army by being soft or weak, did she?"

"No, Miss Rachel."

"So she should be able to handle this situation without trouble, right? And would she be happy to see you so upset?"

"No, Miss Rachel." Borisov closed his eyes for a second. "You're absolutely right, and I should calm myself. I would not be any use to the Captain or the _Vysotniki_ bouncing off the walls like a rubber ball thrown by a maniac." He straightened his shoulders. "She will need me at top of my form, so I go home and go to bed now. She will call me when she gets back in to Roanapur." He stood and walked toward the door, a very slight unsteadiness the only thing betraying just how much vodka he had on board.

Dutch shook his head. "Rachel, for a girl your age, you've got a good head on your shoulders. I'd better watch it, or Balalaika will want to recruit you."

Rachel smiled. "That'd be flattering, but I don't speak Russian. I also don't like vodka very much. Now, gin…" She looked hopefully at the liquor cabinet, which was locked tightly at the moment.

"No, Rachel." Revy's voice was firm. "You've had enough for the day. I've seen how you've been sucking back beer. I let you near the gin, and you'll be flat on your back singing that song about goblins again."

"I do _not_ sing songs about goblins!" Rachel shouted. She looked around at the others in appeal. "Do I?" Their expressions told her all she needed to know. "Well…at least I can sing _in tune_! Unlike a _certain sister_ who can't carry a tune in a bucket…"

Revy gave a shriek of _faux_ rage and lunged at Rachel, who dodged away, giggling. "Watch it, Rebecca…I know where the ice cubes are!" Revy began chasing her sister around the office, loudly threatening to tickle Rachel till she wet her pants. Dutch and Benny looked at each other and grinned.

A few days later, the Lagoon Company, save only Rock, who was still in the hospital, were sitting around the office. Outside, rain was falling, and the mood was somber overall. The television was on, turned to a Thai soap opera with English subtitles, but nobody was paying it much mind.

Rachel was cleaning her pistol for the fifth time that day. Benny was fussing over some cranky software, cursing to himself softly as he tried to get it to work. Dutch was going over some accounts. And Revy was pacing up and down, up and down, up and down, scowling hard enough that nobody, even her employer or her closest comrades, dared say anything.

The door opened, and they all looked around, their eyes lighting up. Unfortunately, it wasn't Rock. It was Balalaika. She walked on in, alone, as though she owned the place. "Good morning, Lagoon. My, it's nice to see you all again." She gave them all a smile. "Sergeant Borisov told me about how you helped him deal with our arrest. The Bougainvilla Trading Company-and Hotel Moscow-owe you for that."

"Big sis!" Revy ran over. "Are you all right? Are your men all out?"

"Yes, they are all free. Miss Sulong did a wonderful job." Balalaika looked at Rachel. "Ah, I see you're cleaning your pistol. That's a good habit to be in. Little girls who don't clean their weapons have them seize up at the most _inappropriate _times." She winked. "And I want you to teach me that song you quoted. It impressed the Sergeant greatly, and he's not easy to impress."

"What did they arrest you for, Miss Balalaika?" Dutch took control of the conversation, steering it back to business.

"Oh, smuggling, arms dealing, consorting with criminals, being an undesirable foreigner…nothing I haven't done, but nothing I can't normally deal with by applying _reason_…" Balalaika made a gesture as though she were counting cash…"to the appropriate people."

"Who made it happen, do you think?" asked Revy. Balalaika gave Revy a baleful grin, and Revy gulped.

"I suspect our dear friends from the _Cheonji_, Revy. While I was gone, they've set up a new trading company, Paektu Trading, and they're moving in on Hotel Moscow, as well as the Triads, the Italians and the Colombians. Our people have been reporting being openly squeezed by Korean thugs. Even Bao, down at the Yellowflag, has been having trouble."

"What do you think we should do?" Revy pulled out one of her Cutlasses and began methodically checking it over.

"What I think we should do, people, is strike at the root of this nonsense. Considering that they were heard bragging about how they'd jumped your friend Rock, would you be up for a little raid on the _Cheonji_, Revy?"

Revy's evil smile was all the answer anybody would need. From where she sat, Rachel piped up: "Hey, don't leave me out! I'm a good shot, and I know my way around ships!"

Balalaika gave Rachel an approving look. "Why, Rachel, that's very thoughtful of you. And I have the perfect job for you…"

END Chapter 07


	8. Chapter 8

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

Chapter 8

An Uninvited Expedition

Night came quickly in the tropics. The harbor at Roanapur was shrouded in darkness; there were few ships there, the local fishing boats were safely hauled up on shore, and the town's lights did not penetrate far out onto the waters.

The _Cheonji_ rode at anchor, about half a kilometer from the nearest shore. There were a few lights on her decks, but for the most part, she showed little sign of life. The other ships were anchored at a distance from her, as though they did not want to associate with her.

In the murky waters near the _Cheonji_'s stern, there was sudden movement. A low-lying canoe slowly moved toward the North Korean ship, almost invisible in the darkness. Sergeant Borisov paddled, while Rachel Lee crouched in the bow, watching intently as the high sides of the North Korean freighter came closer and closer.

At last, they were nearly touching the side of the ship. Rachel stood up and pointed a strange device toward the railings of the main deck, far above. A soft twang, and a three-hooked grapnel, attached to a thin, strong line, soared into the air, catching on the railings. Rachel tested the line, and when she found that it would take her weight, turned and gave Sergeant Borisov the "thumbs up" sign, before swarming silently up the side of the ship.

Once she was aboard, Rachel looked around. Nobody had noticed her, and all was quiet. She smiled to herself, and got busy. First, she took a small beacon out of her backpack, switching it on and hanging it from the railing, over the side and out of sight from the deck. The beacon gave off a regular signal, invisible to normal eyes but quite visible to night-vision goggles. Then she took out a tightly-rolled rope ladder, attaching it to the railing right beside the beacon and letting it unroll. When she heard the weighted far end splash into the murky harbor, she slipped into a shadowy area under a stairway to await reinforcements.

When Balalaika saw the beacon begin its invisible flashing, she smiled, lowering her binoculars. Most of her face was covered with a pair of night-vision goggles, but her trademark scarring was still visible. Like everybody else, she was dressed in a tight-fitting dark-blue costume, with a hood that came up over her head. Revy had asked her why they weren't wearing black.

"Because black is a little _too_ dark, Revy. It shows up more easily than you would think. Dark blue was what the ninjas wore, and we shall do likewise."

Dutch had raised an eyebrow at how easily his volatile gunslinger accepted Balalaika's explanation. "I guess she really respects Balalaika," he muttered to Benny, who nodded. The captain of the _Black Lagoon_ and the _Lagoon_'s electronics expert were suiting up in gear like what Balalaika and her men were wearing.

"Benny? Do you have all your gear ready?"

"Yes, ma'am. I don't anticipate too much trouble. The North Koreans aren't known for cutting-edge technology." Benny opened his pack, checking over his gear. "With this stuff, I could probably hack into the Pentagon's systems. _This_ should be a snap!"

"Don't be overconfident," scolded Balalaika. "Dutch, keep an eye on him, would you? I know you aren't afraid, Benny, but this might get very hairy. I'll detail a couple of the _Vysotniki _to protect you, but that'll also be Dutch's job." She winked at Dutch. "That is, if you aren't too _old_ to keep up with us young people!"

"Ma'am, I may be old, but we older folks can still show you young'uns a trick or two," Dutch answered, not at all put out at Balalaika's teasing. "I was doing this sort of thing in 'Nam when most of you were still in diapers!"

"Good. That means that you'll be a useful man to have along." She glanced over her _Vysotniki_, who were all ready to go. "And I think we shouldn't keep the good Miss Rachel waiting, should we, gentlemen?"

Aboard the _Cheonji_, Rachel squirmed farther into the protecting shadows as a North Korean crewman came by. For a second, her heart was in her throat as he paused not far from where she had hung the ladder, but he didn't notice anything, whistling something tuneless-sounding to himself as he sucked on a cigarette. He looked out over the dark waters of Roanapur Harbor, before going back inside.

Rachel peered out over the harbor, and her eyes went wide behind her night-vision goggles. She saw the three flashes of light that told her the_ Vysotniki _and _Lagoon_ crew were on their way. She smiled broadly, but made no sound whatsoever. Long before she had come to Roanapur, she had been an experienced sneak-thief and burglar, and she knew well how to be absolutely silent.

She listened carefully. She heard the usual sounds of a ship at anchor-the soft creaking of the anchor chain as the ship moved, clangs as doors opened and closed-and something she didn't expect. She strained to hear more clearly, and couldn't quite believe what she heard.

It was the sound of weeping. Several people were crying, very hard.

Rachel knew that the _Vysotniki_ would be there in a few minutes; it wasn't that far to shore, and she had seen how fast they could paddle their inflatable black rafts. She wondered who it was that was crying; it sounded to her like a woman, or women. The more she heard of it, the less she liked it. She knew more than enough about North Korea to know that they were not above kidnapping people. Rock, in particular, had told her about Japanese people who had disappeared, only to turn up years or decades later as captives in Pyongyang. She had been horrified to learn that one of them, Megumi Yokota, had been no older than she was when she'd been grabbed, one dark night on Japan's western coast.

Were the North Koreans grabbing people here? Rachel was under no illusions about Roanapur, and she knew that there were people in the town who'd cheerfully sell slaves. The question was, though, what the North Koreans would _want_ with slaves. Rachel thought, contemptuously, that most North Koreans were so besotted with their insane ideology that slaves would be redundant.

Of course, there were other possibilities. Rachel thought furiously. She wished that the _Vysotniki_ would hurry up…she wanted to go investigate, but she had been given strict orders to stay close by the ladder until the ship had been boarded. Rachel did not fear Balalaika, or her men…at least, she didn't think she did. However, she did have a healthy respect for them. Not only that, but Rebecca had made it clear that this was not just one of her pranks, and had promised to thrash her till she was black and blue if she deviated from the plan for any reason that she, Rebecca, did not approve of.

When the raft reached the ladder, Balalaika made as if to be the first to climb up. However, Sergeant Borisov gestured that she should stay back, and went up first. After he went, Revy came clambering up, hand-over-hand, just as in those long-ago days when she had been one of New York City's best second-story burglars.

When Revy reached the deck, she found Borisov being hugged hard around the waist by her little sister. Revy smiled to herself; Rachel had obviously taken to the scar-faced Russian, and Revy approved. She knew that Borisov would not harm Rachel, and that having crushes was all part of becoming a woman_. At least my baby sister has good taste_… Of course, Borisov couldn't hold a candle to Rock, but in Revy's opinion, nobody could. The thought of paying out the people who'd assaulted him without provocation was very sweet indeed.

"Rebecca? Good to see you," Rachel murmured. "I heard something very strange, and I want to go see what it is."

"What did you hear?" Aboard a North Korean ship, just about anything was possible, and Revy knew that Rachel knew how dangerous the situation was.

"Crying. People crying." While they talked, the _Vysotniki_ and Balalaika were spreading out, covering the whole deck of the _Cheonji_ while staying out of the light as much as possible. When they had the deck secured, one of them gave a low whistle.

"Good. Now we move on in." Suiting action to words, Balalaika opened a door and stepped through, with Sergeant Borisov and some of the Vysotniki right behind her. Rachel saw an opportunity, and peeled off—she had carried out her instructions, and had no further orders. She had her Walther PPK, as well as several knives, and felt that she could handle some sailor if she ran across him.

End Chapter 08


	9. Chapter 9

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

Chapter 9

by Technomad

Yoon Hyun-jun, Colonel in the Ministry of Public Security and, ostensibly, engineering officer aboard the DPRK merchant ship _Cheonji_, was not expecting trouble. When the lights first flickered, then went out, he was absorbed in watching a batch of US $1.00 bills being soaked in a chemical solution that would take the ink off them; that way, they could be overprinted with higher denominations, and would still have the security strip that would tell a casual scanner that they were, indeed, US currency.

"What?" he snarled when the lights went out. "Comrade Kim! Where are you, Comrade Kim?"

A voice came from very close by; a woman's voice, speaking in English. "Get your hands _in the air_, motherfucker, or I'm going to shoot you so full of bullets that they'll be able to sharpen your head and make you into a pencil!" Before he could react, he was grabbed by the throat and punched in the face; his head rocked back on its hinges as his vision filled with stars. "Hands in the _air_, motherfucker!" Stunned, Colonel Yoon decided that sounded like a really good idea.

Revy smiled to herself as she grabbed the Korean's hands and cuffed them to the nearest stanchion with the plastic cuffs Big Sis had provided her with. She had never envisioned herself using such things; they had always been items that others used on _her_, but the times she had been arrested had taught her, if nothing else, how they were to be used. Very quickly, she had the Korean immobilized.

She looked around the room as the lights came back on, turning her night-vision goggles down so that she wouldn't be dazzled. She figured out quickly what the Koreans had been up to, and wished, uncharacteristically, that "Greenback" Jane Bhai was along; the counterfeiter would have been fascinated with the Koreans' machinery. _Better that she sniffs around this stuff than sniffs after Rock,_ Revy thought, her lips unconsciously peeling back in a snarl.

Just then, the door at the other end of the room burst open, and several Koreans ran in, their eyes going wide at the sight of Revy standing there. Shouting in their incomprehensible language, they pulled guns. Revy grinned broadly. "So ya wanna dance, do ya?" she called, yanking out her Cutlasses and beginning to shoot in her trademark two-handed style.

Down several decks and farther forward, Rachel was crouched outside a locked cabin, working on the lock with a crowbar. Finally, she managed to get it open, and a wild-eyed Asian man stumbled out, only to haul himself up short at the sight of Rachel's PPK pointed at his chest.

"Who are you?" asked Rachel, then repeated it in the rudimentary Thai she had picked up since landing in Thailand.

The man stared at her, unable to believe the sight of a slip of a girl in a dark blue coverall, night-vision goggles pushed back on her head, menacing him with a drawn pistol. He began saying something in Korean. "_English_!" snarled Rachel, poking him with the muzzle of her pistol. "Speak English, if you can!"

"Oh! My name is Park Chun-hee. I'm the consul for the Republic of Korea at Roanapur. Please get me to a telephone as soon as you can! I've been kidnapped!"

Rachel's eyes went wide. She was a street brat, and knew she was a street brat; this sort of thing was well above her pay grade. Kidnapped diplomats, and people like that, were things she knew enough to kick up the ladder to people over her. "Follow me, mister! I'll take you to the Captain!" As Mr. Park began following her, Rachel snapped: "Do you know if there are other people down here? Were there others captured with you?"

Mr. Park scratched his head. "Yes—there were a group of gymnasts from Pusan that were at the banquet where I was last, before I woke up here." He looked around curiously. "Where am I? I had thought I was in a hotel, or something like that, but this looks like a ship."

"You're aboard the _Cheonji_. Now, please, mister, _shut up_!" Rachel had come to another door, and she was kneeling in front of it, listening intently. Sure enough, she could hear someone, or several someones, crying behind it. She pulled out her crowbar, and levered the bar that was holding the door closed off with every ounce of her wiry strength. The door opened, and a group of Asian women came pouring out, and Rachel recoiled instinctively. All of them looked terribly beaten-around and bedraggled, and they gave off a palpable aura of menace; their faces were twisted into frozen snarls of pure feral hatred. Rachel suddenly knew what the North Koreans had been doing.

Some of them moved toward Rachel, their hands twisting into claws and their faces alive with a terrible purpose, and she skittered back. "No! I'm a friend! I'm a _girl_! I didn't do anything to you!" she gasped, pulling open her coverall so that they could see that she was, indeed, female; under it, she was wearing a tight t-shirt that showed what breasts she had clearly. At this, they stopped, but Rachel could tell that it wouldn't take much to turn them into an uncontrollable mob.

"I'll take you to the Captain. She's back toward the stern. Come on!" Just about then, Sergeant Borisov and several of the _Vysotniki_ came in. "Sergeant! Damn, am I glad to see you! Please get these people out of here!" Sergeant Borisov's eyes went wide at the sight; he began speaking in a language Rachel didn't know, and the women's faces twisted into feral, insane grins. _So he knows __Korean__, too?_ thought Rachel. _Damn, smart and good-looking too…"not just a pretty face," my ass!_

Right about then, Rachel heard shooting; it sounded like two people were really going after each other with everything they had. _Sheesh. Turn my back on my silly sister for a second, and she gets into a gunfight! Oh, well, it's just another day in my way of life_…She went to see what new stupid thing Rebecca had found to do.

Meanwhile, Revy was in her element; a desperate gunfight with what she had to admit were some skilful opponents. It took all of her own talent for ducking, dodging and weaving to keep her hide un-perforated, and while she'd taken down two of them, the third seemed to be just as good as she was.

Finally, her Cutlasses both clicked empty. "Shit!" snarled Revy, as she frantically popped the magazines out and grabbed for her spares. The other's gun was apparently also empty, and he closed while Revy was reloading, grabbing her and slamming her head really hard against a bulkhead behind her. Revy slumped bonelessly, her vision going double as stars flashed before her eyes.

The Korean loomed over her, smiling evilly as he reloaded his pistol, raised it, aimed it…and was knocked off his feet by four-feet-ten and eighty pounds of raw fighting fury. He hadn't expected an attack from behind, and was thrown off balance, his pistol flying from his hand. Rachel landed on his back, slashing at him with a knife. He rolled, throwing Rachel off, and both of them bounced to their feet.

The Nork was good, but Rachel was feral, fast and furious. He tried hitting at her and kicking her; Revy could tell that he'd had _Taekwando_ training; but he somehow never seemed to connect squarely. All the while, Rachel was dancing in and out, avoiding his hands and feet, while slicing at him with her knife and screaming curses, threats and insults. For a girl her size, Rachel had an impressive vocabulary and there wasn't a clean word in it. Revy shook her head, struggling to clear it. She could hardly believe her eyes. That was _her little sister_ out there, taking on a grown man in hand-to-hand, and holding her own! Involuntarily, she smiled a smile of sheer pride and joy. _That girl can __fight_!

Revy felt her head, and found, to her great relief, that she hadn't had a fracture. She was still dizzy and sick, but she knew that the fight could have only one end, unless she took a hand again. Sure enough, the Nork finally got lucky and grabbed Rachel by one arm, twisting it until a sickening snap announced that he'd fractured her forearm. Even then, Rachel didn't give up, tossing the knife to her other hand and crouching, daring him to come on, her lips twisting in a carnivorous grin.

The North Korean took the bait; he'd apparently forgotten about Revy. Well, Revy hadn't forgotten about him, and as far as Revy Two-Hands was concerned, nobody but nobody got to lay hands on her baby sister but her! With a wordless scream of hatred, Revy gathered herself and launched herself in an all-out attack, gripping the Korean around the neck and twisting, performing the Istanbul Twist that Balalaika had taught her so long ago.

The Nork's neck snapped with a noise that Revy knew she'd hear in her dreams, and he collapsed, dead. Revy and Rachel looked at each other. Finally, Revy broke the silence. "And _what _do you think you were trying to do, young lady?"

Rachel stood up straight, defiantly cradling her broken arm. "Nobody hurts my big sister. _Nobody_, got me?"

Revy squinted, and, sure enough, she saw Rachel's PPK in its holster, right where it should have been under Rachel's left arm. "Young lady, _why_ didn't you just _shoot him_?"

Suddenly, Rachel looked very young. Giving Revy a sheepish grin, she muttered: "Uh, I…I kinda forgot I had it, sis." Then she brightened. "Besides, I think I didn't do too badly, did I?"

Revy had to shake her head. "No, Rachel, I can't honestly say that you did badly. I'd have done differently, but you did good, baby sis." She reached out and ruffled Rachel's hair. "Mom and Dad would both be real proud of you, Rachel." Rachel actually blushed for a second.

Right then, they heard an almighty uproar from the stern area of the ship, and the engines began to throb, making the deck vibrate beneath their feet.

END Chapter 09


	10. Chapter 10

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

Chapter 10

by Technomad

_Aboard the Cheonji_

Dutch had been detailed as part of the group that was to take over the _Cheonji'_sbridge, and he hurried up the gangways behind four of Balalaika's more sea-wise _Vysotniki_. They didn't find any opposition until they got to the bridge itself; the North Koreans had not been expecting trouble, and it was very easy to get there.

On the bridge, they found the ship's captain, to judge by the white officer's cap he wore, and a Korean seaman at the helm. The Koreans hardly had time to scream before the _Vysotniki_ were on them, efficiently dispatching them with ballistic knives and garrotes. When they were down, the _Vysotniki_ shoved the bodies out of the way without ceremony, and Dutch stepped up to look at the bridge's controls and dials to see if he could figure them out.

They were all in Korean, of course, but despite that, many of them were recognizable. Dutch managed to puzzle out enough to know that he could turn the engines on from the bridge, and proceeded to do so. He threw several switches, and was rewarded by a deep throbbing that vibrated up through the soles of his feet.

The ship began moving forward, and a flashing light on the control panel told Dutch that he had forgotten to weigh the anchor. As the ship began to slew to port, he began to push buttons, hoping to get the anchor out of the harbor bed. By the time he'd hit the right button, the ship was pointed directly toward the outcrop at the head of the harbor where the defaced statue of Buddha faced eternally out to sea. Before Dutch could do anything, a sickening crunch told him that the ship had run aground. The whole hull shuddered, and the decks canted slightly as the _Cheonji_'s momentum ran her up onto the rocks and sand.

The _Vysotniki_ shouted in alarm, and an intercom on the bridge began squawking in Korean. One of the Russians pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number and began barking in Russian. When he got an answer, he handed the phone to Dutch.

Balalaika's voice, smooth and sweet, came over the line as clearly as though she were standing beside him. "Dutch, are you the one responsible for grounding this ship?"

Dutch thought very fast. Benny may have had more raw smarts, but Dutch was always the brains of the Black Lagoon Company. "Yeah, I did. I wanted to make sure that even if we lost, they couldn't just take this ship and go somewhere else with her. This way, even if the Koreans take her back, they'll have a lot of problems – the Thai authorities will take a serious interest in a ship running aground, and they'll be very hard to keep off the ship."

"Ah, wonderful! You're thinking way ahead of me! That hadn't occurred to me!" Dutch was glad that Balalaika had bought his story; the grounding had honestly been accidental, but if he could make Balalaika think that it had been a cunning plan of his, that was just fine with him.

Meanwhile, Benny was absorbed in figuring out the Koreans' computer systems. "Damn," he muttered, "I wish Jane was here! A lot of this stuff's right up her alley!"

Just then, a horde of enraged Korean women came running in, and he looked up, backing away from the machines and raising his hands to show that he was unarmed. They stared at him, not really seeming to see him. He looked into their eyes, and shuddered. Not a one of them looked even slightly sane. At that moment, he'd rather have given Revy a hotfoot than deal with any of them, much less a mob.

One of them stepped forward. In a low hiss, she snarled: "Where is _captain_?"

"Captain?" Benny wasn't sure who they meant. "Do you mean the captain of this ship, or Balalaika?"

Just then, Balalaika came out from a side cabin. Benny had never been so glad to see anybody in his life, as the mad mob of women turned their attention to the Russian. Borisov, who had been behind them, began speaking rapidly in Korean, and Benny's eyes went wide. He hadn't known that Borisov could speak so many languages. _Guess I shouldn't be quite so sure I'm the smartest person around_!

The women began smiling. It wasn't nice smiles. It was hungry, carnivorous smiles. Two of the _Vysotniki_ came out, dragging a couple of Koreans with them, and the women let out a savage cheer, a yell of hideous triumph, as they surged forward. The _Vysotniki_ stepped back, and the women fell on the Koreans. Benny shuddered; the noises that he heard, he knew he'd be hearing in his dreams for a long time. _ I can't even tell Jane about this...she'd never understand_! When the noises stopped, and the women stepped back, Benny took one look at what they'd left behind, and nearly lost his dinner. Even the _Vysotniki_ and Balalaika looked uneasy at the sight, and they were hardened veterans of a hundred desperate battles in Afghanistan and the streets of Roanapur.

"Don't be upset, Benny," murmured Borisov. "If you knew what those men did to these women...what they had planned for them...you'd be cheering them on." Balalaika nodded gravely. Benny figured that even as tough as Balalaika was, she was still a woman, and could relate to things like that in a way that – thank God! – he never would be able to.

Revy and Rachel came up just then; Rachel, Benny noticed, was holding her right forearm in her left hand in a way he didn't like. "You two all right?" he asked. He found he really didn't like the idea of Rachel being hurt; Revy, he knew, could more than take care of herself, but Rachel was still so young...

"Rachel's got what I think is a broken arm, and I've got an almighty lump on the back of my head," said Revy. "Other than that, Benny, we're both rarin' to go!"

"Take a look at this setup!" Benny began showing them the Koreans' setup. "See, they soak the ink off these $1.00 US notes with these chemicals, and then overprint them with higher denominations. That way, they can pass through most tests. They've also got a rig here that they were setting up to print paper with the right watermarks on it. That'd also get through a lot of tests. Janet'd be about to wet her pants at the sight of this stuff!"

"So she would." Revy was no expert, but she could tell that the Koreans' rig-up was absolutely state-of-the-art. "Are they doing other countries' currency?"

"I don't know. I – " Benny was cut off suddenly, as a group of Koreans erupted from below and began shooting wildly at everybody at once. Revy knocked him down and sat on him, as she and Rachel ducked behind the counterfeit-money machine, which was massive enough to shelter them.

"How many are there, Rachel?" asked Revy. She was rapidly reloading her Cutlasses.

"I make it about seven, Rebecca. I think we can take them." Rachel grinned fiercely at her older sister, and in that moment, watching the two of them, Benny thought that it was like seeing one of them looking into a mirror at herself.

"Sounds good. And, young lady – "

"Yes?"

"Don't forget your _goddamn_ pistol this time!"

"I've got it out and ready to go!" And, sure enough, she had it – she was flying on one broken wing, but she still had one good hand, and it was holding her Walther PPK. "Sheesh! Big sisters! Make one lousy mistake just once, and you _never_ hear the end of it!"

"That, Rachel, is a big sister's privilege," smirked Revy. "If you'd had a few little sisters, you could do the same thing to them!"

"On the count of three?"

"Works for me. One – two – three!" Revy and Rachel burst from cover, their pistols blazing. Benny stayed down; he was no gunfighter and didn't even pack a piece, and he knew that he was not in a position to help the sisters.

The Koreans hadn't expected such fierce resistance, and for a crucial few seconds, they were halted in their tracks by sheer shock. That was all it took. Revy Two-Hands was one of the best two-handed gunslingers in Asia, and while her little sister Rachel wasn't up to Big Sis' very high standards, she was no slouch with a handgun in her own right, and .380 was light enough that she could handle it easily, while still packing enough of a punch with its hollow-point ammunition to do serious damage.

Balalaika was also taking a hand, along with Sergeant Borisov and several of the _Vysotniki_. The ship rang and echoed with the guns' reports, and bullets _spang_ed off the decks and bulkheads. Benny was no coward, but he couldn't understand why Revy seemed to love this sort of thing so.

Out of ammunition, Rachel ducked back down beside him. "Isn't this a _blast,_ Benny? Here, could you help me? I can't reach my pouch with this damn arm!" Numbly, Benny opened Rachel's pouch, and pulled out some fresh magazines for her PPK. She grabbed them, slotted one into her pistol to replace the one she'd emptied, and tucked the rest down her shirt-front. "Thanks, Benny. You're a sweetie. If I were a little older, I might see if I could give old Greenback Girl a little competition." She kissed him quickly, before peering up, grinning, and jumping back into the fight. Benny absently rubbed his cheek. _If Jane ever hears her say that_…He wondered what his girlfriend would do. The counterfeiter was not, to put it mildly, inhibited. On the other hand, she was rightly leery of Revy.

A few minutes later, quiet returned. The hold was thick with gunsmoke, and everybody's ears were ringing. The Koreans had apparently decided that enough was enough; the few of them that were alive were kneeling on the deck, hands over their heads.

Balalaika meditatively holstered her pistol. "Sergeant, Revy – see to these people. You should have enough plastic cuffs."

"I'm on it, Big Sis," Revy answered, giving Balalaika an only slightly-ironic salute. "Rachel, come over here. Let Big Sis' medic have a look at that arm."

As Rachel went over to Balalaika's medic, one of the Koreans she passed apparently thought that he saw an opportunity. He suddenly pulled a knife and stabbed Rachel, who went down with a gasp of pain.

_Oh, __shit_…Benny thought. At the sight of her sister being stabbed so treacherously, Revy's eyes went cold and deadly, and her face paled. Normally, even in the middle of a desperate gunfight, Revy wasn't really angry; Benny thought that she generally enjoyed such things. When Revy _did_ get angry, though, all bets were completely off. Revy swiftly finished cuffing her prisoners, then stalked over to where her sister was sprawled on the deck, curled around the place where she'd been stabbed.

Revy squatted beside Rachel, and gently stroked her little sister's hair. "Don't worry, baby," she murmured, "Big Sis will get you to the hospital, and you'll be all right." Then she straightened up, and the look in her eyes as she stared at the Nork would have frightened Jack the Ripper. Even Balalaika's eyes opened wide, and Sergeant Borisov moved protectively to his mistress' side. The _Vysotniki_ hefted their guns, but did not move to interfere.

"You _son of a bitch_…" Revy murmured, her voice almost a caress. "It's not bad enough that you shit-eaters have to beat up Rock, who wasn't doing anything to you, just for existing. Even when you're surrendering, you can't think of anything better to do than to stab a thirteen-year-old girl." Suddenly, Revy was on the Nork, screaming: "Well, that little girl has a _big sister_, and Rock has a _friend_, and _you are toast_!" Shrieking her hatred, she tore into the North Korean with a knife. Benny saw some of what she was doing, and looked away, feeling slightly sick. He'd seen Revy in action before, many times, but almost always with a gun. She was no beginner with a knife, and she was making sure to hurt the Korean a lot, not just kill him quickly as she usually did.

Finally, Balalaika sighed, and stepped forward. She tapped Revy on the shoulder, and Revy looked up at her, her expression like someone interrupted in the act of lovemaking. "Enough, I think. You've made your point – and your edge – and done it with great style. You don't need to do any more."

"But, Big Sis…" Revy looked slightly nonplussed, "he hurt Rachel! You saw it!"

"Yes, I did. You did right. However, enough is enough. Come – " Balalaika pulled out her pistol and finished the Korean off, much to Benny's relief – "we need to be going." Outside, Benny could hear sirens, off in the distance. "Chief Watsup will be here shortly, and he'd rather we weren't here. I arranged this window of opportunity with him."

The medic who was working on Rachel and the other friendly wounded nodded as Balalaika addressed him in Russian, and snapped some orders of his own. Several other _Vysotniki_ appeared with stretchers they'd found somewhere, and the wounded were loaded aboard as the boarding party headed for the boats.

Off in the distance, dawn was breaking to the east of Roanapur, as Benny came out on deck. He could see the lights of Roanapur, and one red blinking light told him that Balalaika, as always, was right. Not wanting to be found on board by Chief Watsup – the man was eminently bribable, but bribes still cost good money - he headed for the ladders down to where the boats were waiting.

END Chapter 10


	11. Chapter 11

Four Pirates and a…Little Lady?

by Technomad

Chapter 11 

"Look at this," said Dutch. He held up the Roanapur English-language paper, the _Roanapur Weekly Report_. Screaming headlines dominated the front page:

_North Koreans Foiled!_

_Heroic Police Chief Leads Raid!_

_Counterfeiters, Kidnappers, Taken Into Custody!_

_South Korean Consul Rescued!_

Below the headlines, a huge picture of Chief Watsup of the Roanapur Police filled much of the rest of the page, with him grinning like he'd just won the lottery.

"I read the story," Benny drawled. "In the immortal words of – someone – I may vomit." He mimed doing so. "To read that, you'd think that Watsup was like a combination of Judge Dredd, Sir Lancelot and Audie Murphy."

"Instead of the scumbag with his hand always out that we all know and – tolerate." Revy grinned. "Hey, he can make those reporters' lives miserable; they probably have to write what he says."

"Sergeant Borisov says that the Thai-language papers are even worse," Dutch rumbled. He reflexively reached for a cigarette, then remembered where they were.

Rachel's room at the Roanapur hospital was the place where they were all gathered. She had been in a very bad way when they had gotten her to shore, despite the best efforts of Balalaika's medics, and had lost a great deal of blood; the North Korean's knife had cut open her liver.

Balalaika had an ambulance waiting, but it had been touch-and-go for some time. Now she was out of danger, but slept a lot, like right then. Her room was a sea of flowers and "Get Well!" cards, mostly courtesy of the _Vysotniki_. Chang had sent her a box of candy, which Revy had appropriated, "to see if they're fit for my little sister to eat." Right then, she was about halfway through. "After all," she had pointed out, when Rock asked her why she kept eating them, "just because one's all right doesn't mean they all are."

Rock gave Revy a sardonic look. Rock was nearly ready to leave the hospital, and was fully ambulatory, so when he'd heard that Rachel was also a patient, he had come around regularly to see how she was getting along. Revy had been very pleased to see him making sure she got the best care.

"Well, with the _Cheonji_ gone, things here are probably going to return to nearly-normal," Dutch rumbled. "I've heard that the local talent's rallied, and the Koreans that weren't aboard when we hit that ship have mostly either disappeared or been taken on by Chang, Balalaika or one of the other local outfits. They're talented, and Chang told me that the ones he got were mainly just glad to get free of that nuthouse and the 'Dear Leader.'"

Just then, Rachel opened her eyes, and looked around. "Hi," she whispered. At that, all other conversation was dropped, as the _Black Lagoon_ crew crowded around to greet her. At first, she didn't seem to be focussing, but then her expression cleared as she saw what was around her bed. Her big black eyes opened wide. "Who sent all these flowers? And where am I?"

"You're in hospital in Roanapur," Rock answered her, taking one of her hands. "You were stabbed aboard the _Cheonji_, so we brought you here. Chief Watsup's taking all the credit for the raid."

"Let him." Rachel was sounding more like herself every minute. "Credit doesn't put money in my pocket, gin in my bottle, or ammunition in my magazine, does it? Now, _cash_, cash and a good line of credit, those are useful."

Dutch looked at Revy. "She sounds so like you it's scary sometimes."

Revy looked innocent. "Considering how we grew up, it's not surprising. And, after all, shouldn't a little sister look up to and admire her big sister?"

"Does that apply to letting the big sister hog the little sister's candy?" Benny asked.

"What?" squawked Rachel. She saw the nearly-empty candy box that Revy was suddenly trying to hide behind herself. "Was that for me? Give me it, you big meanie!" When Revy passed her little sister the box, Rachel looked inside, and her eyes went wide. "You _pig_, you gobbled almost _all_ the candy! I bet you didn't even share with the rest of the crew!"

"Big sister's privilege," Revy drawled, as the rest of the _Lagoon_ crew gave her hard looks. "Part of being the big sis is getting _all_ the good stuff. Along with getting to go out with guys earlier, getting to use things like makeup earlier…"

"And getting _cellulite on the thighs_ earlier," put in Rachel, with a fiendish grin. "I don't like to talk about these things in front of guys, Rebecca, but you look like you're putting on some _weight_. And is that a _gray hair_ or two I see?"

Revy paled, as Rock, Benny and Dutch all laughed. "Rachel, when you're up and out of that bed, you are going to get the biggest thrashing of your life!" Rachel's outstuck tongue told everybody what she thought of Revy and her threats alike.

"So nice to see you feeling better, Miss Rachel," commented Balalaika, who had come into the room unnoticed while everybody else was preoccupied with the sisterly byplay. "At this rate you'll be up and around and stirring up trouble in no time!"

"Oh! Hello, Miss Balalaika!" At the sight of Balalaika, Rachel visibly put on her best manners. Revy had been very clear about just how dangerous Balalaika could be, after the incident with the "sub-aquatic investment acreage," and as a result, Balalaika had warmed to Rachel considerably. "Please, make yourself at home. I'd offer you a place to sit, but these _men_ – and my _sister_ – have _hogged all the chairs_, it looks like." With that reminder, all the _Lagoon_ crew leaped to their feet, and Balalaika selected a chair and sat down, crossing one elegant leg over the other. Every male eye was riveted, and she smiled.

Rachel whispered enviously to Revy: "I wish _I_ was pretty like her."

Balalaika overheard; little ever got past her. "Do not say such things, little Rachel. You're pretty like _Rachel_, and that's all you'll ever need. In any case, I dropped by to tell you that I've covered the hospital bills, both for you and for Mister _Yaponski_."

"You didn't have to do that, Miss Balalaika," Dutch spoke up. "The Black Lagoon Company does have hospitalization insurance. However, it's a very nice gesture, and I do thank you for it." At his pointed look, both Rock and Rachel added their thanks, and Balalaika gave them a smile.

"I also wanted to see that your recovery was progressing, and I can see that it is. I was wondering if you'd be willing to take some training from my men?" At this, Rachel's eyes went very wide and she let out a squeal of delight. "I take it that means 'yes, I'd love to do that, thank you.' Very well. When you are out of the hospital, please come 'round to Bougainvilla Trading and we shall arrange things. I will be happy to work around the schedule of your present employers, of course."

"That's very nice of you." Rachel finally managed to get out a coherent sentence.

"Oh, not necessarily. I have plans, and some of them could well involve you. Once you've turned eighteen, and your juvenile records are sealed, having someone nearby with real, authentic, unfaked American travel documents could be very useful. Just as Mister _Yaponski_ was on our trip to Japan…remember?"

Revy and Rock both turned very pale. They remembered that trip, vividly. Revy looked like she was about to say something, then visibly changed her mind. Balalaika got up to go. "_Dosvidanya_, little Rachel. Get well soon. My men were all asking how you were doing, and I shall tell them that you'll be back soon." With that she was gone, and only a whiff of very expensive French perfume was left to remind them of her presence. Her high-heeled shoes tapped on down the tile-floored hall until the elevator door opened and shut, and she was gone.

Revy let out one long shuddering breath. "That woman…I respect her, I respect her a _lot_…but she's got a mind like a shark with a genius IQ."

"I couldn't have said it better," Benny said. "She's so Machiavellian sometimes, I think she even sleeps to further some plan or other."

"Hey, why worry?" Rachel piped up. "That'd be five years from now, and a lot could happen in that time. I could die, Balalaika could die, or something could come up that made her forget all about whatever she's scheming." Rachel reached for her nightstand and found a deck of cards. "I wonder if any of the nurses or orderlies here play cards?" Her expression was very predatory for a second, before going so innocent that anybody who knew her would have known instantly she was scheming something. "Even without her picking up the tab, I could probably win enough to cover it!"

The adults in the Lagoon company looked at each other, and they all shrugged helplessly.

THE END


End file.
